From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [304]
“I might,” Prew said. He put on the clean fatigues and sat down again. “Culpepper said he dint think I’d get more than three months and two-thirds. Since, like he said, this one’s all in the family.”
“Thats about right,” Warden said. “Unless you say something to make them mad at you at the trial.”
“I’m keepin my mouth shut.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Warden snorted. “Oh,” he said, “here.” He pulled a carton of tailormades out of his hip pocket. “Heres some butts.”
“Well thanks,” Prew said.
“Dont thank me, kid. Them’s from Andy and Friday. I wouldnt buy you no cigarets. You’ve made me about a week’s extra paper work as it is.”
Prew felt himself grinning. “Well I’m sure sorry,” he said. “I sure feel for you, Warden. But,” he said, “I cant quite seem to reach you.”
The Warden stood staring down at him angrily indignantly, then suddenly he grinned. “You’re sure usin up the fatigues in a hurry. What’re they doin, workin you for a change?” He sat down on the bunk and ripped open the carton viciously, opened one of the packs and lit one of Prew’s new tailormades.
“Not much,” Prew said. “Pull a few weeds up to the playground. I dont mind it.”
“That aint so bad.”
“You reckon,” Prew said, “all them cute little kids will all grow up to be officers.”
“Probly,” Warden said. “A shame, aint it?
“I got the forms out and sent in yesterday,” he said. “That was the best I could do. I had to light on Mazzioli all spraddled out to get the typescript witnesses’ statements done in time to go in that early. That son of a bitch is so lazy I even thought for a while I’d have to do them myself too.”
“I dont suppose,” Prew said slowly, “any of them mentioned the knife this time either, did they?”
Warden did not say anything. He studied him narrowly. “What knife?” he said.
“Old Ike’s knife he pulled on me,” Prew grinned.
Warden did not say anything for quite a while this time. “You told anybody else about this?” he said finally.
“Nope,” Prew said. “I aint.”
“Could you prove he pulled a knife on you?”
“I reckon they could take a couple sledgehammers and bust open the garbage rack and find the blade down in the crack where I broke it off for him.”
Warden rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Culpepper might just do it,” he said. “Nobody else would. But Culpepper wants to make a big splash since this is his first case. He might just do it. Its worth a try. Are you going to tell him about it?”
“No,” Prew said. “I dont think I am.”
“Why the hell not? Its worth a try.”
“Well,” Prew said. “I kind of hate to break up their little party. They couldnt try me for Bloom, and The Treatment dint work, and they’ve got this one pretty well fixed up now. I busted it, they’d have to start all over again.”
Warden laughed suddenly. “I bet Old Ike is sweatin blood about now.”
“No he aint. I wish he was, but he aint. He already believes his own story by now. Maybe Wilson and Henderson dont believe it yet, but Old Ike does, I bet.”
“I guess thats so,” Warden said. “And Wilson and Henderson never sweated blood over nothing, have they?” He rubbed his unshaven chin with his hand. “I got to shave,” he said abstractedly. “I aint had time the past day or so. You know,” he said, “maybe you ought to tell Culpepper about it. Maybe it would be a good thing if you did. Hell, I might even be able to get a couple of them busted out of it.”
“No,” Prew said. “Not with Holmes in there pitching. He’d get them out of it some way. They’d just twist it around and use it themselves, someway. They’ve got the high ball up and the switches all open. If they goin to railroad me, they aint goin to get the satisfaction of seeing me squirm for them and put on a show. I can take everything they can all of them hand out, and come back for more, Top. Fuck them.”
Warden did not say anything then for a long time. When he got up from the bunk there was an oddly strange squint in his light blue eyes in the deeply tanned face. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “Anyway, its your show and you got a right to run it however you want.”
Prew felt he could